UK Man Diagnosed with “Congo Fever” Dies

A 38-year old British man who was diagnosed with Crimean-Congo Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, commonly referred to as Congo Fever, has died after being transported to the Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow. He was admitted to the hospital’s Brownlee unit, which specializes in infectious diseases,

National Health Services has identified four passengers who were possibly seated near the man during the flight. Of the four people contacted, two will be monitored on a daily basis and the other two are considered not to be in need of further observation. Any airline, airport or NHS staff who came in contact with the man will also be monitored.

CCVHF is zoonotic, meaning it is a disease most commonly found in animals but capable of being transmitted to humans. Since CCVHF is not airborne, infection can only be caused by direct contact with infected blood or body fluid, making human-to-human infection extremely rare.There is no safe vaccine for the virus, and mortality rate among those infected ranges from 10 to 40%. Although rare, the disease has been identified in 30 countries throughout Eurasia and Africa, and incidence of the disease has risen over the last decade.